Home sweet home for Sharks

CEBU, Philippines — They may be wading through rough waters but the Cebu City Sharks gave their home fans a reason to be proud of.

Electrified by the large-throng of well-wishers that cheered for them to the top of their lungs , the Sharks put on a show in a resounding 70-66 victory over the Makati City Skyscrapers to make their first home game memorable in the 2018 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Datu Cup late Saturday night at the full-packed University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Basak Campus gym.

Fighting with pride in their hearts, the Sharks built as much as 20 points lead, then quelled a daring endgame challenge by the Makati visitors to   arrest a four-game slide and chalk up their only second win in 10 games.

The Sharks collapsed after establishing a 54-34 advantage on a layup by Victor Nuñez with 3:08 left in the third quarter, but regrouped just in time to escape with a close but exhilarating four-point triumph to the delight of their townmates.

The Skyscrapers came threateningly close for the last time at 64-68 as William McAloney, a former University of San Carlos (USC) Warrior, calmly sank his pressure-packed free throws to virtually secure the match for the Sharks, 70-64, with only 11 seconds left to play.

Jan Patrick Cabahug, who played for the University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers during his high school days, topscored for the Sharks with 22 points and seven rebounds, while McAloney posted a solid double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds laced with two assists.

Up next for the Sharks are the Valenzuela CDO Idol Cheesdog on October 16 at the Ynares Center in Pasig City.

Cedric Ablaza and Jerald Bautista each scored 10 for the Skyscrapers, who dropped to 6-4 in a tie with the Laguna Heroes and Bacoor Strikers.

Earlier, Reed Friar Juntilla unloaded 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Rudy Onde, Jr. and Von Harry Lanete chipped in 14 and 11 markers, respectively, as the Zamboanga Valientes overcame a  lackluster start to pummel the Basilan Steel,  94-80, and snap out of their three-game skid. The Valientes now hold an even 5-5 record while the Stell fell to 4-7. (FREEMAN)